richards



" ATES PATENT DFID.

JNO. W. RICHARDS, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

FIRE AND VENTILATING APPARATUS FOR SHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,827', dated `February 1, 1859.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. RICHARDS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved system of applying pipes for the introduction of air for ventilation and steam for extinguishing tire between the decks, inthe holds, and between the timbers of ships and other vessels; and -I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification in which- Figure l is a transverse section of a vessel exhibiting my improved system of pipes. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of part of the vessel. F igsj, Ll, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are views of some of the details of the system.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention, which is more particularly applicable on board of steam vessels, consists in the employment of a series of pipes having orifices or branches communicating with the spaces between the decks, the cabins, the state rooms, the hold, and the spaces between the timbers, and having separate connections with a blowing apparatus and with a steam-boiler, either of which connections can be opened at pleasure by the engineer or other person qualified or appointed to their control, for the purpose of introducing through said series` of pipes a copious supply of fresh air for ventilation till fire occurs in` any portion of the vessel, when the air may be shut off from that part and steam admitted thereinto in sufficientquantity to eect its extinction.

It also consists in a certain mode of applying the air and steam pipes so as to afford convenience for the occupants of the several berths to so direct the air supplied to their berths as may be most agreeable, without interfering with the air supplied to other berths.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the hull of the vessel.

B, B, B2, are the decks.

C, is the hold.

D, D, are berth frames on the lower deck.

E, E, are state rooms between the middle and main decks.

F, F, F', are the pipes for introducing air or steam into the between-decks and hold of the vessel; said pipes being arranged in trains along the sides of the vessel in the hold and between the decks, each train extending the whole or any portion of the length thereof. which are arranged between decks have numerous orifices a, a, for the issue ofyair or steam. Those which are in t-he hold have similar orifices and small branch pipes o, leading through the inner planking to the spaces between the timbers. Fach train of pipes F, or F', is connected with an airsup'ply pipe G, communicating from the lowing apparatus, and also a steam-supply pipe I-I, communicating from the steamboiler, each of which supply pipes is furnished with a cock o, to close it; or the several steam and air supply pipes may be so connected with two main supply pipes that the air or steam may be let on or shut off by a single air-cock and a single steam-cock in the engine-room or other place convenient of access to the oiicer in charge of the apparatus.

The pipes in the hold may be fixtures, and so arranged and secured close to the sides or deck as not to interfere with the stowage of cargo. But it may be desirable to have some of the trains of pipes betweendecks, or portions thereof, movable so that they can be put up when passengers are to be carried in that part of the ship but taken down when cargo is to be stowed there; and with this end in view I propose in some cases to make the trains of a series of short lengths of pipe g, g, and to connect said lengths together by joint boxes I, I, which drop into suitable supports z', 2', secured permanently to the sides of the vessel, as represented in the train F1, between the decks B, and B. The ends of the several lengths g, g, of pipe are simply fitted easily into the joint boxes, which partake of the character of journal boxes, and may be made each of a solid piece or casting of metal, or divided longitudinally like journal boxes. The said boxes may be provided at their backs with taper dovetails 7L, h, as shown in Fig. 5, which is a horizontal section and also in Fig. 8, which is a back view of one of the boxes detached, to drop into corresponding grooves in the supporting plates z, z.

To provide for the convenient stowage of the pipes when taken down, I make the successive lengths, commencing at the steam Those of the said pipes and air supply pipes, of gradually diminishing sizes, so that the whole or any number of the pipes of a train may slide int-o one another as shown in Fig. 6. This gradual diminution of the size of the pipes in the train, besides affording convenience Jfor stowage, is calculated to give a more unienough for its own supply.

The joint boxes I, I, to receive the pipes of diminishing sizes, are made with onehalf of the interior of a size to receive the larger and the other half of a size to receive the smaller of the pipes which they are to connect, and with a small internal flange CZ, as shown in the vertical sectional View, Fig. 8, and the horizontal section, Fig. 4, to prevent the smaller pipe slipping into the larger one and thus breaking its connection with the next smaller one. The joint boxes may be mere rough castings, as tight joints are not required, for the air or steam may as well issue from the joints as from the orifices a, a.

It will be convenient when the trains of pipe pass through the sleeping berths to have the lengths g, g, to correspond with the lengths of the berths, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the occupant of any berth can, without interfering with the supply of air at any other part of the same train, turn the pipe therein to direct toward or away from him the streams of air issuing from the orifices a,

if said orifices are all on one side of the pipe; and to permit this I intend always to have the pipes fit the joint boXes loosely enough to be capable of turning easily therein.

J J, are trains of pipes for conveying air to the state rooms E, E; said pipes being secured permanently below the deck B, and intended to have connected with them, air and steam supply pipes like-the trains of pipes before described; and having small branches c, c, passing up through the decks into the state rooms; the said branches being fitted with perforated caps f, f, which can be raised or lowered to regulate the supply of air for ventilation. One of these branch pipes e, e, and caps f, f, is shown in section in Fig. 7.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. Arranging and applying the pipes F, F J, or their equivalents leading to the different parts of the vessel, in combination with suitable connections with a boiler and a blower or air-forcing apparatus, that the said pipes may be used as required to supply either air for ventilation or steam for the extinction of fire, substantially as herein described.

2. Applying the several lengths of pipe in a train that they are capable of being turned in theirl j oint-boXes or supports, for the purpose of giving such direction to the ventilating air supplied by each length as the occupants of the berth or part of' the vessel supplied by it may desire, as herein described. JOHN WV., RCHARDS. Vitnesses:

HENRY T. BROWN, M. TUscH. 

